I Picked Up a Broken Ten-Thousand-Soul Banner, Then Got Pulled into a Supernatural Game

[Lighthearted and funny; wish fulfillment; invincible protagonist; no female lead; supernatural horrors return; dimensional superiority; genius business management] While everyone else is fighting to survive in horror games, Lin Fan is running a “recruitment drive” in one. With an ancient demonic treasure in hand, the arrival of the supernatural is no longer an apocalypse. It's a golden opportunity to start a business. Lin Fan, twenty-seven, is a broke shopkeeper in an antiques market who scrapes by selling fake antiques. One day, he buys a tattered black flag from the countryside, only to discover that it's the greatest demonic treasure of ancient times: the Ten Thousand Souls Banner. The good news: It can devour souls and command all manner of ghosts, and its rank is absurdly high. The bad news: It's so badly damaged that it needs a hundred thousand souls to be repaired. The worst news: There are no ghosts in modern society. Just as Lin Fan clutches this “hot potato,” on the verge of tears, a supernatural game called The World of Strange Tales descends upon reality. Countless players are pulled into its stages, struggling to survive as evil spirits hunt them down. The stages are governed by strict rules and crawling with ghosts, while player deaths remain sky-high. The whole world is thrown into panic. And Lin Fan's first reaction to the game's pop-up announcement is “Thank goodness. You really know how to feed me.” The Ten Thousand Souls Banner has absolute control over the souls of ghosts and monsters. While other players shiver in a deserted school, hiding from the murderous Chinese teacher, Lin Fan chases the evil spirit all over the building, shouting as he runs, “We're a legitimate organization. Great benefits. First come, first served.” This isn't a survival game. It's a job fair.